God of War: Adventure Across Realms
by Hulkfan96
Summary: When Hulk accidentally shows up in Midgard, he comes to the aid of an aged god-killing Spartan and his son. Set during the 2018 game. Rated M for extreme violence and swearing.
1. New Earth Realm

-**Harlem, New York**-

The villainous Abomination stomps through Harlem, hurling cars and attacking lots of innocent people. Police officers arrive on the scene and without hesitating, shoot at the large creature, though the bullets don't even bruise his tough skin. Abomination grins as he slaughters all of the policeman, punching and crushing them with his fists. As he approaches a car, with a woman clutching her infant child in fear, a loud roar was heard, originating from the other side of the long street.

"**Leave them alone! You want to smash someone? Smash me**!" Hulk roars, hitting his chest to goad his opponent into attacking him.

"Hulk! Finally! A real fight!" Abomination says with joy as he runs towards Hulk, who starts running towards Abomination, several people watching the two titans of physical power run at each other and collide, a sonic boom emitting from the impact as they press their hands against one another. "I'll crush you...like a bug!" Abomination says as he grinds his teeth.

"**Good luck with that**!" Hulk retorts as the two monstrous combatants keep pushing against each other, one trying to overpower the other. As Hulk applies more force, he hears the citizens of Harlem cheering him on, making him smile as he beats Abomination in the show of strength before gripping the back of his head and slamming Abomination onto the ground, getting louder cheers from the citizens as Hulk stands over his foe and begins to punch him with savage brutality, not letting up even as Abomination spits out his own blood and teeth. He can't even mutter out a word of mercy as Hulk continues to punch him, though his attacks eventually slow down as Hulk starts to take in deep breaths. Abomination takes note of this and weakly kicks Hulk away, skidding him across the road as Abomination slowly rises from the ground, a deep crater appearing under him due to the unbelievable beating he suffered through.

As Hulk finally stops sliding along the asphalt street, he slowly gets up and shakes his head like a dazed canine before turning his attention towards Abomination, who wipes some blood off his mouth as he sneers at Hulk.

"I'm gonna kill you, Hulk! Then...I'm gonna kill all of these people!" Abomination says loudly.

"**Just try it, fish breath**!" Hulk says tauntingly, making Abomination charge towards him in anger, his fist colliding with Hulk's as another sonic boom bursts. Before Abomination can attack again, Hulk headbutts him, stunning him long enough for Hulk to send him flying away from Harlem with a brutal right hook. Hulk roars victoriously as the citizens cheer. They've heard of Hulk before, and were hugely familiar with his heroism. Hulk turns around and begins to walk down the ruined street as he starts to be enveloped by a bright light, eventually vanishing, much to the shock and confusion of the Harlem inhabitants.

* * *

-**Norse Realm**-

Hulk falls from the sky, plummeting thousands of feet into the middle of a snowy forest. Hulk groans tiredly as he crawls on his knees, his vision becoming blurry as he passes out, reverting into his Bruce Banner form. Seconds after this, several men wearing pelts and carrying bows and swords approach the unconscious man.

"Where'd he come from?" One of the men asks.

"That crater...it's massive. He must've fallen from the sky. But...how could he survive, let alone make a crater of this size with such a frail body?" Another man asks.

"I do not care if Odin himself farted him out of his ass. All I see is a meal..." The leader of the men says as two others drag Bruce along the ground and tie him to a stone table.

* * *

-**Cabin**-

Elsewhere in the forest, a funeral is being held, a woman's body lays on a table inside a cabin, wrapped in a cloth adorned in flowers as a young boy says a sorrowful prayer as a bald headed man with a thick beard and a red tattoo running across his body sets up a pyre outside.

"Lo, there do I see my mother. Lo, there do I see my father. Lo, there do they call to me." The boy says in mourning as he light several candles around her body. Shortly after, the bald headed man, Kratos enters the cabin as the boy wipes his eyes of his tears. "She's ready, Father." The boy says as Kratos approaches the woman's body, leaning towards it.

"Find your way home." Kratos softly says to the body. "You are free." He carries the body outside and sets it on a pyre made out of tree trunks before setting it and the body on fire using a large axe. As the two watch the body slowly burn, the boy grabs a small knife off of the body, its handle burning his hand due to the fire heating it up. The boy hisses in pain as he drops it on the slow covered forest floor.

"Sorry." He says apologetically, looking at his burnt palm as Kratos applies a ball of snow onto his son's injury.

"Squeeze." He commands tenderly, which his son does as Kratos uses a loose bandage on his arm to cover his son's wound before picking up the knife, its handle cooled down by the snow. "This knife...it was hers. Now it is yours." He says as he hands the knife to his son handle first. "She taught you to hunt?"

The boy nods. "What she knew."

"Show me." Kratos says almost immediately.

"Now?" The boy asks, to which Kratos says the same word in answer. The boy slowly walks into the cabin as Kratos watches the woman's body burn. Seconds later, the boy walks out, a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. "What are we hunting?"

"You are hunting deer." Kratos says sternly.

The boy sighs as he looks around. "Which way?"

"In the direction of deer."

"Okay. Uhh...this way." The boy says as he walks in a random direction away from the house, Kratos following him slowly.

* * *

-**Bandit Camp**-

Two hours pass as Bruce slowly wakes up, his wrists and ankles bound to the stone table by cuffs linked to short chains to limit his movement as the bandit leader sharpens a knife.

"Boss. He's awake." One of the lesser bandits says as the leader looks at Bruce, who lightly struggles.

"Ahh. Good." He says as he walks over to Bruce. "Hmm..." He says, rubbing his chin as he inspects Bruce. "A bit thinner than our last meal, but I'm sure we'll live till we catch a deer or something."

"You are really stupid. If you don't let me go, I'll kill you-" Bruce begins to talk back to his captors, only to be stabbed in the leg by the bandit leader. "Ahhh!"

"Sorry. Did you say something?" The bandit leader asks as he sadistically twists the knife and leaves it in Bruce's leg as he pulls out another knife, this one significantly bigger than the previous one.

"_Hulk...if you're in there, it's time to come out because I'm about to get filleted and served as dinner_!" Bruce screams mentally, finally getting Hulk to slowly come out, his eyes turning a bright green.

"Ahhh! What in the Nine Realms?!" The bandit leader exclaims as he backs away from Bruce as he convulses, screaming in pain as his body slowly shifts into his Hulk form, shattering the cuffs that were holding him down as if they were made of paper. "Kill that-that Troll!" The bandit leader hollers out as his men draw their swords while others hurl spears and shoot arrows at Hulk, though their arrows are too dull to even pierce his flesh. Hulk roars as he pulls the knife out of his leg, his wound healing instantly, much to the astonishment of his captors.

"**I'll kill you**!" Hulk roars as he charges at the bandits, punching and tossing them before turning his attention to their leader, who runs at Hulk and plunges a spear into his stomach, forcing the giant monster to fall on one knee as he grips the handle of the spear.

"Not so tough now..." He taunts, only for Hulk to turn the situation around, pulling the spear out of his stomach and impale the bandit leader with the same spear.

"**Shut up**!" Hulk says angrily as the bandit leader coughs up his own blood, eventually dying from blood loss while Hulk's stomach wound heals up. "**Urgh**..." Hulk groans as he stands up and looks around at the strange environment. "**Where am I? How'd I get here**?" Hulk asks himself as he begins to walk through the forest, the snow crunching beneath his massive feet.

* * *

-**Elsewhere**-

Kratos and his son, Atreus walk through the forest, now aware of Hulk's presence due to his loud roaring.

"What was that, Father? Sounded pretty close." Atreus says, clearly worried.

"I do not know. Keep quiet." Kratos softly says as a large white deer with big, glowing antlers steps into view. Atreus eagerly draws his bow and releases his arrow without thinking twice, missing the deer completely and startling it, making it run away, much to Kratos' anger.

"Aw! I missed him-!" Atreus complains right as Kratos snatches the bow from his hand.

"_What are you doing_?! Now his guard is up! Only fire...when I tell you to fire..."

"I'm sorry..." Atreus says as he lowers his head like a sad puppy.

"Do not be sorry. Be _better_. Now...find it." Kratos says.

"Can I have my bow back?" Atreus asks as he reaches for the now, only for Kratos to move the bow further away from his reach.

"No. Find...the...deer." Kratos says as he holsters the bow.

"Okay..." Atreus says as he scowls at his father before following some tracks the deer left behind when it ran.

* * *

-**Later**-

Atreus finally manages to track the deer down, which is peacefully feeding on some grass. Atreus and Kratos kneel down next to each other as they observe the animal.

"Can I have my bow back now?" Atreus asks softly.

"Can you hit it from here?" Kratos asks in answer.

Atreus looks at the deer and decides that he can't. "We should get closer..." He says with a sigh.

A few minutes of traversing later, the two get close enough to get another shot at killing the deer. Kratos slowly hands the bow back to Atreus, who slowly draws an arrow and pulls back the bowstring.

"Do not think of it as an animal. See it as a target..." Kratos softly says as Atreus takes aim, the arrowhead pointing at the deer's side. Atreus inhales and holds his breath, steadying his aim as he releases the arrow, which plunges into the deer's side as it collapses.

"I got it!" Atreus exclaims happily as he looks at Kratos

"Good." Kratos says as Atreus runs over to the crippled deer. As Atreus kneels in front of the wounded animal, he pulls out the knife he took earlier, moving it towards his father, who shakes his head. "No. Finish what you started."

Atreus points the blade at the deer's throat, but stops. "I...I can't." Despite his reservations, Kratos slowly pushes the blade forward into the deer, putting it out of its misery.

As the two look at the dead animal and admire the beautiful landscape, a large hand reaches upward, clutching onto the dead deer. Atreus stabs the hand with his knife, only to be pulled over the ledge by a large Troll. Kratos runs at the Troll, kneeing it in the face as he lands next to Atreus, handing him back his bow.

"We're going to fight that?!" Atreus exclaims.

"We have no choice!" Kratos says as he unsheathes his large axe. The Troll roars as he lifts a massive stone column off the ground and props it on his left shoulder.

* * *

-**Elsewhere**-

**Not Far From The Troll**

Hulk keeps walking through the forest, observing the bizarre yet beautiful landscape before feeling the ground begin to rumble, followed by the Troll roaring loudly. "**Hmm...sounds like a fight**." Hulk says as he rubs his chin and smiles, heading to where the sounds are coming from. It doesn't take him long to come across the fight. "**Oof. Two small people against that thing? Doesn't seem fair**." Hulk says softly, watching the fight continue.

Kratos cuts into the Troll's legs with his axe while Atreus shoots arrows into its chest and shoulders while the two smaller combatants occasionally avoid the stone column as the Troll effortlessly swings it at them. Eventually, Atreus is backed into a corner as the Troll approaches the small boy, raising the stone column to crush him.

"No!" Kratos shouts in protest as he charges at the Troll, only to be kicked away.

"**Looks like it's my turn to attack**..." Hulk says, roaring as he literally leaps into action, latching onto the Troll and punching the sides of its head while Kratos tends to Atreus.

"Boy, are you hurt?" Kratos asks, to which Atreus shakes his head.

"No, Father. I'm okay." He says as he and Kratos watch Hulk beat up the large Troll.

"What is that thing...?" Kratos asks softly as Hulk continues to overpower the Troll.

"I don't know...but I'm glad he's on our side." Atreus says.

"Do not be so quick to trust. Like that Troll, he is not human..." Kratos warns, unaware of Hulk's other self.

"**Ugly monster**!" Hulk says to the Troll as he leaps off of his opponent and uses the Troll's large weapon on him, swinging it so hard it shattered into a hundred pieces, dazing the Troll. Before it can recover, Hulk jumps up and punches the Troll across the face multiple times. He hit the Troll so hard, he breaks its neck, finally killing the grotesque beast as it collapses in front of him. Hulk scoffs at his enemy as he looks at Kratos and Atreus. "**You alright**?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." Atreus says with gratitude as he looks up at his green-skinned rescuer.

"Hmm. Why did you save us?" Kratos asks, clearly not trusting Hulk, despite him saving their lives. "You could've walked away."

"**Would you rather be dead than alive, baldy**?" Hulk asks with snark as he crosses his arms.

"No. I would not." That was all Kratos had to say in response to Hulk's question.

"**That's what I thought**." Hulk says as he begins to walk away, only to be stopped by Atreus.

"Wait! Don't you...have anyplace to sleep?" He asks.

Hulk shakes his head. "**No. I don't even know how I got to...wherever I am**."

"Easy. You're in Midgard." Atreus says.

"**Huh**?" Hulk says in confusion.

"Midgard. You know, realm of mortals?" Atreus says, receiving a shrug from Hulk.

"**Sorry, kid. Never heard of it**." Hulk says as he resumes walking away.

"Wait! You should come back to our cabin with us. Are you hungry-?" Atreus asks, only to be stopped by Kratos.

"_Boy_." He says sternly. "He is not coming with us."

"Why not? He saved our lives." Atreus says.

"We do not know him. He is an outsider." Kratos says.

"**Who saved both of your lives, _old man_**." Hulk remarks, getting a tiny smile from Atreus for the 'insult'.

Kratos growls lowly at Hulk poking fun of his age. "Boy. We must go. Now."

"What about the deer?" Atreus asks as Hulk spots the dead deer out of the corner of his eye and lifts it up, carrying it on his right shoulder.

"**This deer**?" Hulk asks.

Atreus nods. "Yeah. That deer. I killed it. I-I mean, _we_ killed it."

"**I am getting hungry. How about I carry it back to wherever you live**?"

"Fine. Keep your distance from us...or there _will_ be trouble." Kratos warns, to which Hulk rolls his eyes and nods as he follows Kratos and Atreus back to their cabin.

* * *

-**Kratos & Atreus' Cabin**-

The trio make it back to the cabin, the woman's body completely reduced to nothing but a big pile of burnt ash. "Put the animal inside...on a large table. Do nothing else, creature." Kratos orders to Hulk.

Hulk nods. "**Right**..." He enters the cabin and does as Kratos said, putting the large animal on a big table, leaving the cabin immediately afterwards. "**Now what, old man**?"

"_We_ eat...then _you..._will leave." Kratos says rather rudely. Hulk sighs as he, Atreus, and Kratos head inside. Kratos skins the deer before gripping his big axe and chops the deer up into smaller pieces. "Eat." That was all Kratos says as the three begin to bite and chew their respective cuts of meat.

"**So...what's with the little bonfire outside**?" Hulk asks as he downs a nite of his deer with some water.

"It is _not_ a bonfire. It is a funeral pyre." Kratos says.

"For my mother. She died." Atreus says sadly.

Hulk looks at Atreus and sighs. "**Sorry, kid. I know what that's like**." He says, remembering the day he lost his mother.

"The boy's mother had a final request: To spread her ashes atop the highest peak in all the Nine Realms." Kratos says.

"**That's, uh...one hell of a final request**." Hulk says awkwardly as he resumes eating his meat, which was surprisingly _very_ good. A few minutes later, the three finish eating.

"Oh! That was good!" Atreus says, his stomach full.

"**No kidding. Never had deer before. It's...very good**." Hulk says as he stands up.

Right as he does this, a loud, long rumbling sound could be heard, followed by a swift thud. The three tense up, unsure of what caused those noises.

"What was that?" Atreus asks, slightly scared.

"**No clue, kid**." Hulk says.

The three continue to be on alert as they hear a loud knock on the door. Kratos walks up to the door and puts his ear to it.

"Come on out!" A voice yells out from the other side of the door.

"**Who's out there**?" Hulk softly asks, not wanting whoever's outside to hear him.

"It's no use hiding anymore. I know who you are..." The unknown man continues.

"Father, what's going on? Do you know him?" Atreus softly asks.

"More importantly, I know what you are!" The man says.

Kratos steps away from the door and looks at Atreus. "Boy, beneath the floor. Now." He whispers.

"But you told me to never go down there..." Atreus whispers back. "Who is that?"

"I do not know." Kratos says softly as me moves an animal skin rug off the floor, revealing a secret door.

"What does he want?" Atreus asks again.

"I do not know. Get in." Kratos says as Atreus does as he's told. Once Atreus is inside, Kratos shuts the door and covers it with the animal skin rug before turning his attention towards the front door, the man still knocking and yelling impatiently.

"Just tell me what I want to know! No need for this to get bloody!" The man keeps yelling.

"Stay in the house. Do not come out." Kratos says to Hulk, who nods as Kratos exits the cabin, coming across a bearded man whose entire upper body was covered in tattoos. This man was shorter than Kratos, but he looked like trouble.

The man looks at Kratos, inspecting the larger man. "Hmm. Thought you'd be bigger...but you're definitely the one. Well, where's the other large man?"

"What do you mean?" Kratos asks.

"Strange man. Green skin. Looks like an Ogre." The man says, clearly talking about Hulk. "Long way from home, aren't you?"

"What do you want?" Kratos asks, not having time for this.

"Oh, you already know the answer to that..." The man says irritably.

"Whatever it is you seek, I do not have it." Kratos says as he turns his back on the man. "You should move on."

The man laughs mockingly. "Here I am, thinking your kind was supposed to be so enlightened, so much better than us. So much smarter...and yet you hide out here in the woods. Like a coward."

Kratos walks up to the man. "You do not want this fight."

"Oh...I'm pretty sure I do." The man says as he backhands Kratos across the face.

Kratos scowls at his aggressor. "Leave. My. Home." He says sternly.

"You...are going to have to kill me for that to happen." The man says as he repeatedly punches Kratos in the face and gut before trying to hit him in the face again...only for Kratos to catch his attack.

"I warned you." Kratos says as he pulls his arm back and punches his attacker hard, making him stumble and fall to the floor. "You would not listen." He softly says to himself as he approaches the man, lifting him up by his arm.

"My turn." The man says before violently uppercutting Kratos so hard it sends him flying into the air and to the other end of his house. As Kratos picks himself up off the floor, the man suddenly appears on the roof and leaps down, Kratos barely rolling out of the way of his attack.

"**What was that**?" Hulk asks himself as he stays inside, though he's _really_ tempted to help Kratos out.

Kratos and the Stranger exchange punches like two champion boxers, their blows being so powerful that they send the other flying back and destroying the many trees that surround them.

"So slow!" The Stranger says, cracking at Kratos' age, though Kratos made up for his slow movements with his strength. As the two continue to exchange more and more attacks, the Stranger bodyslams Kratos onto the ground before hurling him to the roof of the cabin. Before Kratos can recover, the Stranger jumps on top of him and starts choking him. "Tell me what I want to know!" He demands before punching the roof, making a pretty big hole that showed the inside of the house. "Why do you have two beds in there?" The Stranger asks right before Kratos punches him, changing positions, now on top of his opponent as he punches the Stranger in the face over and over again like an angry animal.

"Leave...my...HOME!" Kratos roars out as he slams both arms down on the Stranger, the force of the attack sending both fighters plummeting through the roof. Not noticing Hulk inside, The Stranger recovers from the fall first, performing a suplex on Kratos before kicking him outside, back to where they started.

Hulk growls, tired of sitting by while Kratos gets beaten up by this strange man. He walks outside as the Stranger slowly stumbles towards Kratos. "**Hey, hobo**!" Hulk roars, getting the Stranger to look behind him. "**How about you go a few rounds with me**?"

"I told you to stay inside!" Kratos yells out in anger.

"**Shut up and sit this out**!" Hulk shouts at Kratos.

"There you are..." The Stranger says as he charges at Hulk and tries to punch him, but Hulk catches his fist, much to the Stranger's surprise. Hulk punches him hard, sending the Stranger flying through the cabin, landing outside the front of it now as Hulk leaps over the entire cabin, landing next to the Stranger. Before he can recover, Hulk grabs him by the leg and slams him against a thick tree, completely shattering it as he proceeds to slam the Stranger on the ground as much as six times before dropping him.

"Ugh...You hit hard. Much harder than the old man. That's impressive." The Stranger says as he smacks Hulk across the face, though it barely fazes the green-skinned monster.

"**You hit like a girl**." Hulk remarks before punching the Stranger into a rock wall, stunning him long enough for Hulk to walk up to him and repeatedly punch him, burying him deeper into the rock wall with each punch. Kratos recovers from his earlier tussle with the Stranger, unsheathing his axe and approaching the Stranger, who could barely stand after managing to knock Hulk away long enough to pull himself from the wall. Kratos swings his axe, the sharp blade embedding into the man's chest, but he barely responds to it, unlike all of Hulk's punches, which hurt significantly more.

"Hahaha! I can't feel anything!" The Stranger says as he kicks Kratos away, only for Hulk to grab him and throw him against a large stone covered in runes of some kind. After Hulk presses the Stranger against the stone and punches him some more times, Kratos approaches the stone and shatters one of its corners causing it to fall on the Stranger, narrowly missing Hulk. The resulting collision emits a thunderous earthquake that shatters the ground, tearing it apart widely.

"**Gee, thanks for the warning, old man**." Hulk says sarcastically as he and Kratos slowly walk back a long way towards the cabin, only to hear a light rumble behind them. They turn around and groan, seeing the Stranger lift the colossal stone off of him.

"Is that all you got? Drop a stone on me? He asks as he charges at the two, only for Hulk to punch him to the ground. Kratos takes advantage of the Stranger being knocked down, lifting him up and tightly gripping his neck and violently twists it, breaking his neck. The Stranger goes limp as Kratos tosses his body off a cliff and into the water below.

"He talks too much." Kratos mumbles tiredly, to which Hulk chuckles in response as they resume walking towards the cabin, Kratos dragging his axe along the snow-drenched ground.


	2. The Start of A Great Journey

**A/N: If you're confused by Hulk's intellect, this version of Hulk is written to be smart yet very powerful.**

* * *

With the Stranger finally dealt with, Hulk and Kratos slowly walk back towards the cabin, breathing heavily with exhaustion after the brutal battle.

"**He was pretty strong for such a puny, scrawny man**." Hulk says.

"He is dead now. He cannot harm us anymore, creature." Kratos says tiredly. Unlike Hulk, Kratos tired out much faster in the fight, whereas Hulk barely broke a sweat. Hulk was used to fighting opponents that could take a beating.

"**Whatever**." Hulk mumbles as he keeps walking, his feet stomping the snow.

"Faye...I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do this without you. We cannot stay here. The boy isn't ready...But I have no choice." Kratos says to himself, unaware that Hulk has heard the whole thing.

"**Uh...you alright**?" Hulk asks, raising his eyebrow as he asks this.

Kratos groans as he drags his axe behind him. "Mind yourself, beast. I will live. It is the boy that concerns me." He says as the two powerhouses walk past the destroyed landscape, a result of their knockdown brawl with the Stranger. As they continue to walk, Kratos falls on one knee, leaning on the long wooden handle of his axe like a crutch, looking towards his cabin home with determination. Hulk offers to help him stand, but Kratos rejects his help, slowly standing up by himself. Kratos and Hulk enter the cabin, with Kratos uncovering the secret spot that Atreus was hiding in while Hulk and Kratos were fighting the Stranger. "Boy." Kratos says as he looks down at Atreus.

"Father. There was so much noise...I-I thought..." Atreus stammers. "You're alright."

"I am alright. We both are. Come out of there." Kratos says as he holds his hand out and pulls Atreus out. "Boy. Gather your things. We are leaving."

Without question, Atreus grabs his bow and quiver of arrows. "Thought I wasn't ready for the journey."

"You are not...but we have no choice. You better prove me wrong." Kratos grumbles as he closes the secret hatch and covers it with the animal skin rug.

"Yes, sir." Atreus says, ready to leave as he looks up at Hulk, who also stands by the door, his massive arms crossed against his chest. Kratos takes one last look at the cabin before Hulk and Atreus exit, followed by Kratos, who closes the door behind him as the trio begin the journey by walking through the forest.

"**Where we going**?" Hulk asks as he follows Kratos and Atreus, his eyes scanning the trees for potential attackers who'd be foolish and downright suicidal to attack them.

"We're gonna scatter my mother's ashes from the highest-" Atreus says before being cut off by Kratos.

"Boy. That's enough." Kratos says sternly, which silences Atreus.

"**Grrr**." Hulk growls. "**Don't need to be so mean**."

"I am preparing him, beast. This world is cruel and unforgiving." Kratos says to Hulk. As the trio continue to walk and traverse the landscape, they suddenly come across a group of wandering draugr. "Boy! Get behind me!" Kratos shouts. Atreus nods as he runs over to Kratos and does as he's told. "Do not fire until I say." Atreus nods again as he loads his bow while Hulk clenches his fists and gets ready for a fight. "Now!" Kratos shouts, prompting Atreus to fire an arrow into one of the draugr. The other draugr snarl as she run at the trio, only for Hulk and Kratos to do the same, punching and slashing them respectively. After dealing with them, more draugr show up, materializing out of thin air.

"There's more of them!" Atreus calls out as he fires his bow at the creatures.

"**Ugly monsters**!" Hulk roars as he easily uproots a tree and swings it around like a club, sending several draugr flying while making sure to not hit Kratos or Atreus. As this happens, Kratos cleaves into his own batch of draugr with his axe, even severing limbs on occasion. Soon, all the draugr were dead, and it didn't seem that more were going to show up, so Kratos sheathes his axe while Hulk drops his tree club. "**Rrr...Monsters gone**?" Hulk asks, to which Atreus nods after looking around.

"Looks like it." Atreus says.

"Keep moving...before more show up." Kratos says, his goals never wavering from his mind. The three resume walking until they come across a large stone that's blocking their path, though Hulk quickly puts his hand under it and effortlessly tosses it behind them.

"Whoa! You're really strong..." Atreus says in admiration at Hulk's power.

"**Strongest one there is**..." Hulk boasts as Atreus starts to walk along a rickety bridge.

"Careful, boy." Kratos says, clearly getting a bad feeling.

"It's okay." Atreus says as he stomps his foot on one of the boards to test it's durability. Almost instantaneously, the board collapses under him, causing him to fall, but he manages to grab onto a board. "Father!"

"Hold on, boy!" Kratos says. As Hulk runs towards the bridge, Kratos stops him. "No! Your weight will only endanger him more!" Hulk growls in annoyance but holds his ground as Kratos slowly walks across the bridge and pulls him up, only for the entire bridge to fall apart, sending both Kratos and Atreus plummeting into a clearing under the bridge...which is filled with dozens of motionless draugr. Curiosity gets the better of Atreus, who gets a little too close to one of the motionless creatures, forcing it along with the others to spring to life. Seeing his new friends in danger, Hulk jumps down into the clearing, crushing three draugr under his weight as he proceeds to punch, smash and slam a large number of draugr.

"**Grr...stupid creatures. Not so tough**..." Hulk mumbles.

"Great job!" Atreus exclaims positively at Hulk's performance. "Those draugr never stood a chance!" However, the moment was cut short by Kratos, who was angered by Atreus' carelessness.

"We never would've had to fight them if you weren't so careless..." Kratos grumbles.

"I'm sorry, Father." Atreus says, lowering his head like an abused puppy.

"Do not be sorry. Be more aware of danger." Kratos says before walking on.

* * *

-**Later**-

As the trio continue to trek through the forest, they eventually enter an abandoned temple of some kind, mounds of corpses surrounding a large, heavy gate. "Creature." Kratos says, addressing Hulk. "You want to be accepted as an ally?" Hulk nods his head in answer. "Good. Then lift that gate so we can proceed." Hulk growls softly as he easily lifts the gate up, allowing them to proceed. Once inside, several Reavers come out of hiding and surround the three travelers.

"Are they Hell-Walkers?" One of the Reavers asks.

"No. They're untouched. Except the big one. Look!" Another Reaver exclaims, pointing at Hulk, who was already in a fighting pose. "So many days without meat. Somebody start a fire!"

Atreus tilts his head in confusion as Hulk stands in front of the small boy protectively. "Meat? Wait...us?"

"Stay behind me, boy." Kratos says as he draws his axe.

"We'll keep them alive...Strip their meat off. One day at a time." A Reaver says hungrily as he clutches a sword.

Hulk growls. "**Just try! Rahhh**!" He roars as he charges at the Reavers, punching them so hard that they practically burst into geysers of blood and guts. Hulk wasn't holding back. Kratos does his thing, slashing into other Reavers with his axe while Atreus strikes from a distance with his bow. As Hulk finishes the last of the Reavers by crushing its skull in his oversized hand, a surviving Reaver grabs Atreus from behind.

"Father! Hulk! Help!" Atreus screams out as he kicks at the air in an effort to break free, only for him to 'accidentally' stab his attacker in the ribs with his knife. The Reaver groans and tosses Atreus to the ground. This causes Hulk to roar really loud as he leaps at the Reaver, grabbing him and monstrously tears the man in half, spurting blood all over the walls. Kratos runs over and consoles the small boy, who starts to cry out of fear; he thought he was going to die.

"Close your heart to it." Kratos says, wanting Atreus to toughen up. Hulk grunts as he watches the two.

* * *

-**Later**-

After Atreus calms himself down, the three traverse their way out of the temple and come across a thick bridge. Unlike the last time, this bridge seems to be much more durable; it's even able to withstand Hulk's weight. As they begin to cross, they spot a short, bald-headed 'man' with blue skin, who was trying to get a strange-looking creature to move, but was having a hard time accomplishing that. Atreus runs over to him.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Atreus asks.

The blue figure grumbles in answer. "Can't get this sloe-eyed lump-head to cross the bridge. Hrmph!"

"It's because it's scared of something in the trees over there." Atreus says as Kratos and Hulk slowly approach.

"What now?" The figure asks, not noticing the other two.

"Father, throw your axe at those trees on the other side of the bridge-the ones with the white trunks." Atreus says, pointing at the aforementioned white-trucked trees.

Kratos relents as he draws his axe and hurls it at the trees like a boomerang, causing an unseen creature to howl in anger and flee, easing the blue figure's creature as it slowly stands up.

"Say...you must be smart or somethin', boy. Uh, you are a boy, right?" The figure asks as he walks behind his creature and slaps it on the butt before trying to get it to move by trying to shove it forward. As he does this, he sees Hulk and yelps, startled by him. "Troll's balls! What are you, an Ogre that rolled in some moss?" He asks, to which Hulk softly growls.

"Oh, that's Hulk. He's our friend." Atreus says before correcting himself. "Well, my friend, anyway. Father and him don't get along."

"**Thanks, kid**." Hulk says as he helps the blue-skinned figure push, getting the beast to finally stand up.

"What's your name?" Atreus asks the dwarfish man.

"Brok." He says.

"_Vera logn_..." Atreus whispers to Brok's companion, getting it to start moving. As the group resumes walking, Brok notices the axe that Kratos has strapped to his back.

"Say...you're not gonna believe me, but...that axe you got..." Brok says hesitantly. "I made it-me and my brother. One of our best. You gotta handle that axe real special...or she'll wreck beyond fixing. I can enhance it for you." He says to Kratos as the two walk alongside each other, only for Kratos to create some distance.

"You're right. I don't believe you..." Kratos rudely says. "Boy, creature. Come."

"Hold up. Before you bugger off, you should know. There's a rune in the shape of a fork along the handle." Brok says, prompting Kratos to investigate the handle of his axe, finding the rune Brok just brought up.

"That looks nice...but it looks like it's been broken in half. Where's the other piece?" Atreus asks.

"Ah, my idiot brother has the other half. That moron..." Brok groans. "After we broke apart, we split everything 50/50."

"**Rrr...Too complicated**." Hulk grumbles at the family feud between Brok and his unnamed brother.

Brok walks over to Kratos, showing him a branding iron that's partially similar to the rune. "So you want me to upgrade it or not?"

After a short time of consideration, Kratos holds the axe in front of Brok. "Very well; I expect improvement."

Brok walks over to his small workshop. "My dumb brother might have the other half of our brand, but I got all the talent." He boasts pridefully as he improves the axe and hands it back to Kratos. "Don't look now, but it looks like our friend in the trees is back for more!" This prompts Hulk to look in the tree's direction as several draugr appear.

"**Rrr**..." Hulk growls as he lunges at the creatures like a mad beast, punching and slamming them with intense ferocity while Kratos, Atreus and Brok watch on. "**Grrr**...**Stupid draugr**..." Hulk softly says, having heard that word enough times to memorize it.

"Say...the green brute sure knows how to kill." Brok says before looking at Atreus. "You gonna do that at some point?"

"I'm not sure." Atreus says unsuredly.

"This road...it leads to the mountain?" Kratos asks.

Brok nods slightly. "Should put you in the right direction."

"Come." Kratos says to Hulk and Atreus.

"it was nice meeting you, Brok. I'll be thinking of a name for your beast." Atreus says as the trio departs.

"Hey, how about I name her 'fucking gratitude'? Haha. Hey, Fucking Gratitude! Come over here! Ha. I like it!"

Hulk, Kratos and Atreus keep going on their journey, eventyally coming across a Troll like before. Hulk literally leaps into action, knocking the massive brute to the ground with a vicious shoulder charge. As the Troll lays on its back, Hulk stands on top of it and repeatedly punches the creature in the face, each blow denting its thick skull as Hulk roars like a savage animal. As the Troll lays dead, Hulk roars once again in victory.

"Wow..." Atreus says, once again astonished by Hulk's strength.


	3. Witch of the Woods

_A/N: Voltrasin: Thank you for correcting me about the Jotünheim error I made. I have fixed the error._

* * *

The three continue on their journey, eventually coming across an odd-looking wild boar. It had dark skin, an extra set of curved tusks protruding from its snout, and strange yellow markings along its flank.

"Boy." Kratos softly says. Atreus silently draws an arrow into his bow and aims it at the boar. "Remember what you learned."

Atreus nods as he releases the arrow, but something weird happens. Despite hitting the boar, the arrow bounced off of it, leaving the boar unharmed as it runs off, now aware of the trio. "I-I don't get it. I hit it. I did what you said, but it was looked like the arrow bounced off. You think the boar is magical?"

"Hmm.." Kratos mumbles as he kneels down, his eyes locking with Atreus'. What do you think?"

"It looked weirder than any boar I've ever seen..." Atreus answers.

"Get after it, then." Kratos says as Atreus starts tracking the boar, no thanks to it leaving footprints behind.

As they stalk the strange boar, Hulk, Atreus and Kratos come across a destroyed village, courtesy of some draugr, as a small number of draugr corpses are found strewn out on the ground. "**Grr**...**A massacre**..." Hulk softly growls.

"These poor people never stood a chance." Atreus says as he looks around. "What do you think did this? Draugr?"

"It would appear so, boy." Kratos says as Atreus looks around some more. "Do not let him out of your sight." He says as he looks at Hulk. He still didn't trust him, but knew Hulk wouldn't harm Atreus.

Hulk nods his head at Kratos' request. "**Okay**." After this exchange, Hulk finds a stone pillar blocking their path, so he quickly lifts it, allowing them to keep moving, only to stop as they spot the boar.

Atreus kneels down behind a log as he readies his bow. "Elbow up...steady hand...Relax...Accuracy over speed..." He mumbles to himself as he aims the arrow at the boar's underside and releases, striking a direct hit on the boar, who squeals in pain and runs off again, albeit with a limp as a result of Atreus' arrow. "I got it!" Atreus says happily as he looks at Kratos.

"Do not lose it." Kratos says, his mind focused on the fleeing boar. Atreus nods as he hops over the log. As he chases after his target into the mist, Atreus' knife pops off, which Kratos picks up and sighs in annoyance as he sheathes it.

Hulk wastes no time and runs into the mist, remembering what Kratos told him about keeping an eye on him. While Hulk didn't exactly like Kratos either, he did care a lot for Atreus. "**Kid**!" Hulk calls out as he and Kratos run into a labyrinth of canyons, easily losing track of Atreus.

"Boy!" Kratos calls out. "Where are you?"

"Hurry, father!" Atreus calls out, though his exact location was still unknown to Hulk and Kratos. After a few more seconds, Atreus calls out again, this time in distress. "Please hurry!"

"Atreus!" Kratos once again calls out.

"**Where are you**?" Hulk asks loudly as he hears Atreus once more.

"The boar! He's slowing down!" Atreus yells, referring to the boar.

After a few more moments of frantic searching, Hulk and Kratos overhear a feminine voice cry out in anger. "What did you do?!" The woman cries out.

"I'm sorry!" Atreus shouts apologetically. Hulk and Kratos finally find him, though Hulk has to leap over the stone wall, while Kratos easily shimmies his way in through a crack in said wall. The two powerhouses land next to each other with a thud as they spot Atreus kneeling next to the injured boar, along with a beautiful woman that had a sheathed sword strapped to her back. "We didn't know this boar belonged to anyone." Atreus says.

"He doesn't; he is my friend." The woman says as she tends to the injured animal.

"The boy was following my command." Kratos says as he and Hulk slowly approach.

"Then help fix this." The woman says as she makes Kratos kneel in front of the boar. "Hold your hands against his wound. He's losing a lot of blood. Ugh, the last of his kind in all the realm and you shoot him." She says as she rubs her hands together, causing yellow energy to appear between her palms. "You needed food?"

"No, target practice." Atreus says, which clearly disgusted the woman.

"Target practice..." She says angrily, not really noticing Hulk, who was observing the whole thing. She focuses on Kratos. "You-the arrow cut a tideway inside him. Find both ends and hold them tightly." Kratos grips both ends of the tide way. "Good. Now pull them together and line them up." Like before, Kratos does as she asks. "Sunnan..." She says, magically treating the boar, albeit slightly. Witnessing this, Atreus looks at her.

"You're a witch..." The young boy says in astonishment.

"I can't finish the healing here. My home, it's just beyond the trees." She then silently looks at Hulk for a few seconds before speaking up. "You...creature. Will you carry him?"

"**Me? Urrr**..." Hulk lowly groans.

"He must not die. Please." The woman says. Hulk grunts as he nods his head and slowly picks the boar up, which squeals in pain. "Thank you. He seems stable and calm for now." The woman says as she approaches a wall of entangled vines and says an incantation which makes them untangle themselves and allow the group to proceed, leading them to a beautiful clearing of other boars, albeit normal ones, deer similar to the one Atreus hunted, and most amazing of all, a massive turtle that rises from the ground.

"Whoa!" Atreus exclaims in awe upon seeing the oversized reptile. "I-Is he friendly?" He asks the woman, who nods.

"He is. No harm will come to any of you." She says as she leads them under the turtle, revealing a house.

"You live inside a turtle?" Atreus asks, puzzled by the placement of her home.

"No. The house is built under him. Come. I must heal my friend." The woman says as Hulk enters the house, having to lower his head due to being too big for the human-sized door. "Lay him on the floor."

"**Okay**..." Hulk growls softly as he lays the injured boar on the floor as instructed. "**Now what**?"

"Hold him. He will try to move." She says as she mixes herbs into a bowl. As she does this, the bowl's contents start to glow, getting Hulk to tilt his head in confusion as the woman pours some of the bowl's contents into the boar's mouth, healing its wound slightly.

"Wow..." Atreus watches in amazement, though Kratos didn't even budge. This isn't the first time he's seen magic.

"**Mmm**.." Hulk softly mumbles as he looks at the woman and removes his hands from the boar.

"I need two more things to fully heal him. Some fresh red roots. It grows just behind the house. Young man, would you mind pulling a cluster?"

Atreus nods. "Sure. I'm on it!" He says as he runs outside, leaving the woman alone with Hulk and Kratos.

"What else do you require?" Kratos asks. The woman leans towards him, making him lean back defensively.

"I...I know you're a god. Not of this realm, but there's no mistaking it." She says to him before looking at Hulk. "I also know you're not from this realm."

"**Grr**..." Hulk growls.

The woman grabs the bowl and stands up, walking over to a shelf. "The boy doesn't know, does he? About your true nature-or his own?"

"That is none of your concern." Kratos says sharply as he walks over to her.

"Look, the gods of these realms don't take kindly to outsiders. Trust me, I know. When they find you-and they will-they'll make things difficult."

"**I think we'll be fine**." Hulk grumbles, crossing his arms.

"As you wish, creature. The boy...he will want answers." The woman says.

"That will be my problem." Kratos sternly says as he stares the woman down.

"Whatever you're hiding, you can't protect him forever. But...you're right. It is not my concern."

"**Then why'd you bring it up**?" Hulk asks.

"I also need Lamb's Cress. It grows in the garden. It's a white herb. You mind grabbing some?" The woman asks Kratos, ignoring Hulk's question.

Kratos growls softly as he heads off to get the herb she requested, leaving Hulk alone with her. "Lamb's Cress..." He mumbles.

"You want to tell me what you are?" The woman asks Hulk. "In all my years, I've never encountered a creature like you."

"**I'm...not from around here**..." Hulk grumbles as he looks down at the woman.

"Where then? Helheim? Jotünheim? Alfheim?" The woman asks, assuming Hulk is from one of the Nine Realms, unaware that he's from an Earth far different from this one.

Hulk scratches the back of his neck as he raises an eyebrow, having no clue what she was talking about. "**Uhh...no. Earth**."

The woman is puzzled by his answer. "Strange. I sense a great strength within you. You are no mortal creature. I can also sense two minds within you." As she says this, Kratos gathers some Lamb's Cress and helps Atreus pull up the red roots before bringing it back to the woman, who mixes it into the bowl and feeds it to the boar, fully healing it.

"Is he going to live?" Atreus asks, concerned about the boar.

"He is." The woman says, which makes Atreus smile.

"Then we are leaving." Kratos says as he heads for the door.

"Wait." The woman says, making Kratos look towards her as he stops in his tracks. "Not without thanks." She says as she covers her fingertips in magic and approaches Kratos, only for him to roughly grab her arm. "You want solitude? I merely wish to put a mark on you. It'll keep you hidden so your lives will be less...difficult."

"Mmph..." Kratos grunts as he lets the woman do as she wishes, putting a strange mark on Kratos, Atreus, and even Hulk's neck.

"Good. Now...There's a shortcut below the house that leads safely out of these woods." The woman says as the ground rumbles.

"Will we see you again?" Atreus asks as the three prepare to leave.

The woman smiles as she bends down to look at the young boy. "As much or as little as you like."

* * *

-**Later**-

As the three leave, they arrive at a canoe. While Kratos and Atreus enter, Hulk doesn't move. "Creature, we have no time to waste." Kratos says impatiently.

"**Uh...problem. I'm too big**." Hulk says, pointing at the small sitting space on the canoe. He'll break that canoe in half the second he touches it.

"We can't leave him behind, Father." Atreus says.

"If he cannot ride, we go on." Kratos says as he grabs the oar.

"_I might have to take control_." Bruce says inside the Hulk's mind. Realizing he has no choice, Hulk transforms into Bruce Banner, much to the surprise of Kratos and Atreus.

"You're a...shapeshifter?" Atreus asks.

"Uh...something like that, but not quite." Bruce says as he sits next to Atreus on the canoe.

Kratos growls softly as he paddles away. "What are you, a man or beast?"

Bruce thinks it over for a second or two before he starts telling the two that he's from a dimension far different from their own, as well as telling them that he isn't the only one from his dimension that has abilities, most specifically about his girlfriend Janet van Dyne, aka Wasp, as well as various villains he's fought, such as Thanos, Galactus, and the Masters of Evil.

"Wow! Your...world sounds amazing. Especially the one called...Spider-Man." Atreus says in awe.

Bruce chuckles. "Yeah. It's, uh...really crazy sometimes, kid."

"Grr..." Kratos growls, still not trusting Bruce, remembering an incident where he fought several Berserkers prior to the journey. "You might appear as a mortal...but you're still that beast."

"I'm not a threat to you, sir...and especially not to Atreus." Bruce says, remembering all the times he heard Atreus' name called out when he was in Hulk form.

"He saved our lives, Father. You know that." Atreus says in defense of Bruce.

"The beast is the one that saved us, not him." Kratos corrects him as they arrive at a large lake.

"Wow! It's so big!" Atreus exclaims at the Lake's size.

"Yeah, _very_ big..." Bruce says in agreement.

"So...who's the strongest of the people you've fought?" Atreus asks, wanting to know who Bruce's most challenging adversary was.

Bruce chuckles. "That's a tough one, Atreus...but if I had to guess, it'd be a tie between Thanos and Galactus. Galactus is really powerful. He's basically a cosmic god that consumes entire worlds."

Atreus' mouth drops with shock and fear. Just picturing Galactus consuming a world and killing billions of innocents in the process was truly terrifying. However, while Atreus was scared of Galactus based on Bruce's description, Kratos didn't seem to take the world eater seriously.

"A being that consumes planets. Highly doubtful that such a being exists." Kratos says in monotone disbelief.

"Back then, I would've agreed with you, sir, but I've seen him devour a world firsthand...It wasn't pretty." Bruce says, shuddering at the memory of Galactus destroying a planet that the Avengers tried to save.

"W-What about this Thanos guy?" Atreus asks awkwardly.

"Ah. Thanos. He's known as the Mad Titan. He's one of the toughest foes the Hulk has ever faced. Eight out of ten times we've fought...he always beat the Hulk. You see...Thanos killed half of all living things on my world with the Infinity Stones...all so he could impress Mistress Death herself." Bruce says with total disgust as he describes how despicable Thanos is.

"Infinity Stones?" Atreus asks.

"Yeah. They're six stones that possess unimaginable power. The Power Stone, the Soul Stone, the Mind Stone, the Reality Stone, the Space Stone, and the Time Stone. With all six combined with his Infinity Gauntlet, he destroyed half the universe...with a simple snap of his fingers." Bruce says as he snaps his own fingers as a demonstration of how powerful the Stones are.

"This Thanos guy sure sounds scary..." Atreus shivers with fear.

"Calm yourself, boy. This Thanos is nothing but a fool blinded by obsession." Kratos says, not even fazed by Thanos' power. "I promise you...if this Thanos comes looking for trouble...my axe blade will be the last thing he will ever see." Kratos says blankly.

Bruce chuckles nervously at Kratos' words. He truly was a _very_ intimidating man, even for someone like Bruce Banner, who was host to the most powerful creature on his world. "I wouldn't be so sure, sir. Thanos...he was a _really_ big problem for my world." Bruce says to Kratos, who kept his focus on rowing across the large lake.


	4. Dwarfs and a Giant Serpent

-**Lake of the Nine**-

Kratos, Bruce and Atreus continue to row across the large lake. As they row across the massive lake, they see a statue of a large, muscular man holding a hammer of some kind towards the sky.

"Look! It's a statue of Thor!" Atreus says as he points at the statue.

"Thor...God of Thunder." Kratos adds.

"_Thor? He's here_?" Bruce asks in his mind. Ever since he arrived in this world, he wondered if any other heroes from his dimension were here as well. If only he knew the Thor that Kratos and Atreus were referring to was nothing like the one he was thinking of.

"Yeah, that's right. Wait. I never thought you listened when Mother spoke about the gods." Atreus says. If there was one thing that was obvious about Kratos, it was that he didn't care for gods, so it was a surprise to Atreus that he paid attention to his late wife.

"I seldom did. Did your mother speak of a god that could feel no pain?" Kratos asks.

"Oh. That would be...Baldur." Atreus says.

"Baldur..." Kratos says, repeating what his son said.

"Yeah. He's the son of Odin and Frigg. Why do you ask?" Atreus inquires, to which Kratos doesn't answer.

Eventually, the trio coming across a statue that was partially submerged in the water and had some runes etched onto it. "Hey, there's some writing on that statue!" Atreus shouts as Kratos moves the canoe closer so he can read the inscription. "Sacrifice your arms to the center of the water, awaken again the cradle of the world." Atreus says as he reads the inscription out loud. "What, we supposed to throw our weapons in the water? Guess that won't be a problem for you." He says to Kratos, pointing out that he can recall his axe upon tossing it. Kratos grumbles as he stands up, withdraws his axe, and tosses it far, hearing a light splash. Almost immediately after this, Kratos holds his hand out to call the axe back, but nothing happens.

"The axe...It did not return." Kratos says softly.

"Uh...oops?" Bruce says awkwardly just before the water starts to shift violently, forcing the canoe to shake as its three occupants hold on to the sides before the shaking subsides. Suddenly, a large object slowly emerges from the water, though the three in the canoe gasp as they see an eye open, revealing it was a large creature, which then rises even further out of the water, revealing the creature to be a large serpent that seemed to be at an infinite amount of feet long.

* * *

(**Bruce's POV**)

_"I can't believe it...I am looking at a serpent that might be as big as Galactus...How can a creature this massive even exist...?" _Bruce asks himself in his mind as he gazes at the large serpentine beast in awe.

* * *

"It's the World Serpent!" Atreus shouts, having heard tales about it from his late mother. As the Serpent opens its mouth, Kratos' axe falls out and embeds itself into one of the canoe's seats, which Kratos then pulls out and gets into a fighting stance.

"Stay calm, boy!" Kratos shouts to his son.

"I am! This is great!" Atreus shouts back.

"I wouldn't say that..." Bruce mutters to himself as he gazes at the World Serpent. He was at a loss for words, amazed by how gigantic the giant snake was. Next to Galactus, the World Serpent was the largest thing Bruce had ever seen. Suddenly, the World Serpent gargles out a series of strange noises at the small people in the canoe.

It was then that the three realized...it was speaking to them.

"It speaks?" Kratos asks.

"Whoa, that thing can talk?" Bruce adds, still shocked beyond belief.

"Yeah. Mother used to tell me stories about the Serpent; said it was friendly." Atreus answers. As the World Serpent spoke to them, his voice sounded suspiciously like thunder rumbling, which was confusing to them, seeing as how they were just talking about Thor.

"What did it say, boy?" Kratos asks, still clutching his axe tightly.

As the Serpent speaks again, Atreus winces as he tries to listen, but is unable to translate; he doesn't speak the Serpent's language. "I don't know! I can't understand him!"

"_Great_..." Bruce says in his mind as the Serpent gargles once again before turning away from them, nestling its massive head on rocks surrounding the lake.

"Wow...that was amazing..." Atreus says in awe as Kratos sheathes his axe and resumes rowing the canoe to a large golden structure that seemed to have been revealed due to the Serpent's sudden appearance in the lake. As the canoe docks, the three get out and walk along the structure, spotting a snow-covered mountain that towers over the others. That was their destination, and they seemed to get closer with each new area they arrive in. "Father, is that the mountain?" He asks.

"It would seem to be..." Kratos answers lowly as he gazes at the mountain.

"That's a big mountain." Bruce adds before a familiar voice calls out from behind.

"Well! If it isn't the bearded beefed, his sac-seed, and some pathetic weakling." The voice says as Bruce, Atreus and Kratos spin around, discovering that it was Brok, who had somehow beaten them there, despite how far back it was when they first met the blue dwarf. "Have I got something for you."

Atreus tilts his head in great confusion. How did Brok beat them there without any form of transportation, aside from the slow lumbering beast still accompanying him? "Brok? But-But how did you-?" Atreus asks, only to be cut off.

"None of your fuckin' business; now get in here! And don't go making claims at my spot! I saw it first, so it's all mine!" Brok says in his rude trademark tone as he pushes open a heavy set of double doors. "That goes double for you, meatsack." He adds, directing that at Bruce, unaware of who Bruce was, or that he and Hulk were one and the same.

"Okay..." Atreus says lowly before looking up at Kratos. "What do you think Brok wants, Father?"

Kratos simply responds with, "To test our patience."

"You know, when word gets out about my spot, it'll finally make some unsavory folk come out of hiding; they'll be clawing all over one another just to get their hands on my wares. You just watch!" Brok says as he walks towards a surprisingly already constructed and fully operational forge.

"Wow. You sure work fast..." Bruce says as he admires the forge.

"I have my share of skills, human." Brok says before lightly tossing a bright blue stone at Kratos, who catches it and looks at it.

"What is this?" Kratos asks.

"That there is a Key of Yggdrasil. A stone covered in the dew of the World Tree." Brok says before focusing the three's attention towards a pile of rocks, which quickly pile up into a doorway of sorts as the Key of Yggdrasil glows. "With that Key, you can open a magic door to the branches of the World Tree itself. Tis' a shortcut between realms. If you see any other doors like that, you can use em' to get back here quick...but it's only a one-way trip back to here and nowhere else. Oh, and whatever you do, never, never, _ever_, never, ever throw yourself over the edge of the path...unless you want death." Brok warns.

"Noted." Bruce says, taking in all this new information.

"Yeah. I don't see us wanting to die anytime soon." Atreus adds. "Oh! Brok, remember Hulk? From when we last met?"

"Sure! I remember that beefy old draugr slayer. What about him?" Brok asks.

"This guy, Bruce...he's him." Atreus says, which makes Brok chortle in disbelief.

"Ha! Really? That scrawny meatsack? This weakling couldn't kill a fish." Brok says.

"Oh, really?" Bruce says as he takes a deep breath before slowly growing in size and muscle mass as he transforms into Hulk, quickly making Brok jump back in surprise, now knowing that Bruce and Hulk were the same person. "**You were saying, blue**?" Hulk retorts at Brok's earlier remark as he crosses his arms.

"By a draugr's withered nutsack!" Brok says as he gazes at the familiar beast he saw before. "He turns from that pathetic human meatsack into this mountainous behemoth?"

Atreus nods and smiles. "You bet. Pretty much whenever he wants."

Kratos grumbles at this; they were wasting time again. "We must press on, boy."

"**Mm**...**always rushing**..." Hulk grumbles back as the three resume their journey. "**Bye, tiny blue man**."

"I'm a dwarf!" Brok says, correcting Hulk, but the Jade Giant could care less.

* * *

-**Foothills**-

Hulk, Kratos and Atreus make their way past another set of large doors, which Hulk easily opens with his super strength as they enter a foggy clearing with a view of the large mountain that they were getting closer to.

"It's pretty foggy here..." Atreus says lowly, commenting on all the fog that surrounded the area. As the three walk on, Atreus catches sight of a dwarf. His light brown hair wrapped in a very short ponytail, his body covered head to toe in gold armor, and his hands covered with red gloves. "Look, another Dwarf." Atreus says, getting the dwarf's attention, though he screams and cowers back rather comedically upon spotting Hulk.

"Ahhh! What in the Nine Realms?!" The Dwarf shrieks rather comedically at the sight of the Jade Giant as he runs behind a small wooden table for 'cover', though it wouldn't protect him at all if Hulk intended to harm him, which he did not. "G-Get away! Don't eat me!"

"**Ha! The little man is being funny**." Hulk says with a smile, finding the Dwarf's reaction to him to be rather amusing, if not a bit rude.

"I-It's okay, mister. He's with us. He won't eat you. I promise." Atreus says assuredly to the cowering dwarf.

"Y-You sure? He won't do anything...unsavory?" The dwarf asks, shaking in his boots with fear.

"Yeah. I promise. You won't hurt him, right?" Atreus says as he looks up at Hulk.

"**Mm...Right**." Hulk says lowly.

"See? He won't hurt you." Atreus says. "Unless you try to kill him." He adds awkwardly.

The dwarf nervously chuckles as he very slowly walks out from behind the table, still wary of Hulk's imposing form. As he collects himself, he notices Kratos' axe blade and gasps softly. "Hey. Um...where'd you get that axe?"

"That is no one's business but my own, dwarf." Kratos replies with a rude tone.

"Uh...while I won't argue with that...I know that blade anywhere. One of the best. But, uh...it wasn't made for you." The dwarf says as he stands in front of Kratos.

"Move aside." Kratos says, not in the mood for any more distractions. "Now."

"I...I cannot do that. The woman that blade was made for...I was...am...very fond of her. So, if you did something to her..." The dwarf says before raising his fists, getting into a fighting pose, which none of the others took seriously.

Stepping in to stop the tension, Atreus sighs and steps forward. "That axe was my mother's." He says to the dwarf. "She left it to Father before she...died." Atreus halters as he says that last bit. He still missed his mother, and it's hard not to show it.

A shocked expression makes its way onto the dwarf's face as he lowers his fists. "Faye is dead? I'm...I'm very sorry to hear that. Faye was a fierce warrior...and a very good woman." He says as he holds back tears of sorrow before looking at Hulk, Atreus and Kratos. "Okay, then. I will make improvements to your axe." He says to Kratos confidently.

"**Huh**?" Hulk asks, confused by the dwarf's sudden desire to help them out.

"That's nice and everything, but...nobody asked you to..." Atreus adds.

"Well, that's true, but...knowing your mother, she'd insist I repair the act of vandalism perpetrated on her axe by my...brother." The dwarf says, his voice raising a bit when he mentioned his brother.

Atreus smiles, realizing that this dwarf was related to Brok. "I knew it! I moment I saw you, I knew. You're Brok's brother!"

Kratos, however, seems troubled by this revelation and scowls at the dwarf. "The blue one...is your brother?"

"Uh...y-yes, though my talents are vastly superior to his own. N-No boast there. I swear to Freya." The dwarf says fearfully as Kratos slowly walks up to him intimidatingly.

Kratos responds to this by swiftly pulling the axe from his sheath and holds the weapon in front of the dwarf. "Don't undo his work; only improve it."

The dwarf winces, noticing some dried blood stains on the oak handle. "Okay...but can you put it down...over there?" He asks, motioning Kratos to set it down on the small wooden table from before. "T-That handle is-"

"No." Kratos interrupts him.

"**Hmm. You're afraid of blood**." Hulk teases as he crosses his arms.

"I am not! Just...cautious." The dwarf says to Hulk as he clumsily takes the axe and walks up to the wooden table and sets the axe on it. "Okay...improve, you say?" He asks, getting a grunting nod from Kratos.

After upgrading the axe, the dwarf stands back as Kratos picks up the axe and tosses it at a statue of a troll, embedding it deeply into the stone. A lot deeper than usual. It seems the blade was sharper and more durable than before.

* * *

-**Author's Note**-

**I am fully aware of the World Serpent's length in the game, as I looked it up, so I decided to over-exaggerate its length in a perspective from Bruce's POV.**


	5. Taking the Light Part 1

After conversing with Sindri, Hulk resumes to head towards the mountain alongside Kratos and Atreus. As they head up towards their destination, three hooded hag-like figures appear out of nowhere, who cackle at the trio of heroes.

"**What are those things**?" Hulk asked as he got into a fighting stance.

"Mother told me about these. They're Revenant. Witches without souls after they used bad magic!" Atreus called out to Hulk, who started swinging his massive arms at them, but it was like they were made out of wind; his attacks weren't hurting them at all.

"**Grr! Stop doing that**!" Hulk roared in frustration as he continues to punch at the Revenant, still not harming them.

"_Brainless beast_..." Kratos thought to himself as he watched Hulk struggle with battling the Revenant. Suddenly, Hulk, frustrated by the Revenant cackling at his inability to hurt them, clapped his hands together, which released a devastating shockwave, dazing the creatures. Hulk punched one of the Revenant into a rock wall, killing it while Kratos swung his axe at the second one's neck, beheading it. As for the third one, Hulk unleashed another thunderclap and repeatedly slammed the creature's head against the rock wall, caving its skull in until nothing was left, dropping the headless corpse to the ground.

"Whoa! That was so cool!" Atreus exclaimed at the brutality that he had just witnessed.

"**That...was annoying**..." Hulk grumbled as he stomps on the third Revenant's remains.

"How'd you know that...clap thing would work on the Revenant?" Atreus asked as the three resume walking up towards the mountain.

"There was a villain from my world. Vapor. She's a crazy lady made out of poisonous gases. I clap at her, make her weak, then I can beat her." Hulk said as Atreus walks alongside him.

"Wow. Your world sounds weird...but cool." Atreus replied softly.

"Grr..." Kratos mumbled to himself.

* * *

-**Later**-

A few minutes pass as the three arrive at a ruin of some kind, with a large piece of rubble blocking the door. As Kratos starts to move it, a creature with and ape-like stance bursts through the door, its mouth hanging open as it charges towards Atreus and knocks Hulk over a ledge of the cliff, though Hulk grabs the side of the cliff and starts climbing as the creature focuses on Atreus again, though when it lunges, it bites down on Kratos' arm.

"**Grr**! **Jerk**..." Hulk mumbled as he climbs back up. "**What is that**?" Hulk asked as he looks at the creature.

"It's an Ogre!" Atreus shouts as he stabs the grotesque beast in the eye, making it release Kratos' arm from its mouth.

"**Ugly**..." Hulk grumbled as he pushes the Ogre against a pillar and punches it several more times, dazing it before slowly applying literal bone crushing pressure to its skull, shattering it and killing the monster. "**You alright**?" He asked both Kratos and Atreus, though it was mostly aimed at Kratos since the Ogre was biting down on his arm for a while.

"It is nothing." Kratos grumbled. "We must move on."

* * *

(**Later**)

After that, the trio head further up the mountain's path, coming across a mountain with a carved face before noticing a strange, black mist blocking their path. As Atreus approached the fog, he recoiled from it and covered his face. "Ugh...what is that?" The boy asked with a groan in his voice.

"**No clue**..." Hulk replied, having never seen anything like this on his world. "**Bet it's gonna be a problem, though**."

"We must find another way up." Kratos said blankly as he looked at the mist.

"**And how will we do that, old man**?" Hulk inquired as he looked at Kratos and crossed his arms.

Atreus smiles softly, getting an idea on how to get through. "The Witch! Wish she was here right now. I bet she could get us past this...whatever it is."

Almost right on cue, the Witch appeared spontaneously out of nowhere, walking up behind them and says, "My magic is useless against the Black Breath. There is also no way around it. Odin himself saw to that a long time ago." She said as Atreus jogs over to her, happy to see her again.

"What are you doing here?" The boy asked.

"Making sure you and your friends can finish your journey." The Witch replied, putting her hand on Atreus' shoulder.

"**Wait. If you knew that this...'Black Breath' was here, why didn't you tell us**?" Hulk asked in bewilderment.

"For once, I must ask the same." Kratos adds to the question.

"I was busy. Saving my friend if you remember." The Witch replies in a smartass way.

"**Your pig friend was _already_ healed, dummy. You could've told us this at any time**." Hulk said, not buying that she couldn't have told them about the Black Breath.

For once, the Witch had no remark to that and simply said, "Black Breath is a corruption of magic that even I can't dispel. The only thing that is strong enough to break through it...is the pure Light of Alfheim. But that is a long road. What does your journey mean to you and your boy?" The Witch asks Kratos.

"It's everything..." Atreus replied softly, prompting the Witch to look down at the boy.

The Witch nods slightly in understanding then looks at Hulk and Kratos. "Alright. Follow me."

However, Kratos roughly grabbed her arm, stopping her. Like Hulk, he didn't trust her in the slightest. "Why? Why help us?"

The Witch pulls her arm away and looks at Kratos. "Perhaps I see more of myself in you than I'm willing to admit. Maybe...Maybe if I help you, it'll make up for my lifetime of mistakes..."

"**Where do we have to go to get this 'Light'**?" Hulk asked the Witch.

The Witch looks at Hulk. "To a realm beyond this one."

"I can't believe it. We're going to another realm!" Atreus exclaimed to himself excitedly as the trio, plus The Witch got an a large lift of some kind that led down the mountain to where they met Sindri.

"Tyr's Temple is at the center of the Lake of Nine. From there, we will travel to Alfheim. To our good fortune, it is no longer underwater." The Witch says.

"Why is that beast in the bay?" Kratos asked, referring to Jormungand'r.

"Nobody really knows; he just appeared one day. Soon after, Thor attacked him...and their brutal battle could be felt across all the realms. The brawl ended in a stalemate, and Thor returned to his father empty-handed. The Serpent stayed in the Lake and grew so large that he now spans over all of Midgard." The Witch said as the lift finally reached the ground, but Sindri was nowhere in sight.

* * *

(**Later**)

The group enter a cavern, where the Witch reveals she has access to a small amount of the Light of Alfheim, which she applied to her bowstring, allowing them to press onward to Tyr's Temple, though they had to make a detour to fix the mechanism on the bridge; one of its axles was off balance, though Hulk set the axle back in place, then, much to the amazement of both Atreus and the Witch, effortlessly pushed the bridge into place so they could travel to Alfheim.

"Wow! You're _really_ strong!" Atreus exclaimed after witnessing Hulk's remarkable strength in action again.

"**Really strong is putting it mildly**..." Hulk remarked as the group entered the Temple.

"Will you come with us to Alfheim?" Atreus asked the Witch.

"I cannot step foot in Alfheim for more than a few moments. Odin took measures to keep me on Midgard." She said in answer.

"**Why**?" Hulk asked.

The Witch answered with, "The gods here do not like me very much."

* * *

(**Realm Travel Room**)

The group enters a dark room, coming across a tree sitting in the middle of the room, though the top half was inexplicably hovering in midair as some large roots formed together into a bridge so the trio, plus the Witch could get closer.

"Those roots don't look like your magic." Atreus said as he looks at the large roots on the floor then looks back at the Witch.

"That's because they aren't." The Witch says to Atreus. "These roots...They are part of the great World Tree, which is what makes travel between the realms possible."

"**Mmm**..."Hulk grunted lowly as he looked at the tree.

"How does it work?" Kratos asked the Witch, who held a key-like object in front of him.

"Here. You will need this. A Bifröst-A key that will allow you to travel between realms. It can capture, hold, and transfer the Light of Alfheim." The Witch said before handing the object to Kratos. "Place the Bifröst into the slot on the machine." Kratos does just that, gently inserting the Bifröst into the contraption that was surrounded by the World Tree. A small statue emerged from the machine as it glowed a bright, ethereal blue. "The statue you see resembles the temple we stand in, as well as the realm towers that encircle the Lake outside. All the realms exist in the same physical space, reflections of one another. The doors, the towers, and the realms themselves are all intertwined; coexisting on the branches of the World Tree-separated only by the Bifröst light of Alfheim, Land of the Elves. The bridge that your green friend moved is currently positioned to lead to Vanaheim. Instead, you want the bridge to be pointed towards Alfheim. Each realm requires a magical rune to gain access to it." The Witch says as she makes a magical rune appear on Kratos and Hulk's palms. "This is the rune to Alfheim."

* * *

-**Alfheim**-

After turning the wheel on the machine, the World Tree activates and transports everyone present to Alfheim. Once outside, the area looks like an exotic forest that you'd hear about in a fantasy novel, with plants and greenery all over. Even Hulk thought to himself that Alfheim was a beautiful place.

"Welcome to Alfheim." The Witch said in a welcoming tone before noticing that the Light of Alfheim wasn't visible. "The Light...I can't see it. Something is wrong. Wait. That light on the horizon. It's a temple that the Light is held in." Before the Witch could continue on, she became enveloped in a white light as a portal opened behind her and began to pull her away, though Kratos and Hulk quickly grabbed her hands to keep her away from the portal. "There isn't time! To restore the Bifröst's magic, one of you must step into the Light! But you mustn't get caught up in-" The Witch quickly said before she was pulled back into the portal despite Hulk's best efforts.

"No!" Atreus yelled in protest. "Where'd she go?"

"**Do you think she's dead**?" Hulk asked as he crosses his arms.

"Not likely." Kratos said blankly. "Come."

"_You really think she would've told us about the Light before getting sucked out. Geez, this woman is thick headed_!" Hulk says in his head, groaning at the Witch's apparent stupidity.

As the three walk down a long bridge, Atreus spots some Nordic runes which read out, "An eternal war for the Light". Before any of them could question it, they saw a person in a glowing robe being stabbed by a strange creature with a triple-pronged spear. The killer was a Dark Elf, and several more of them flew in and attacked the trio upon spotting them, though Hulk and Kratos quickly dealt with them, punching and hacking at them until they were in literal pieces.

"These are Dark Elves." Atreus said, having heard stories about them from his late mother. Before anything else could be said, Atreus could swear he heard someone say something and looked at Kratos. "Did you say something?"

"I did not." Kratos answered.

The three kept moving, hearing the faint sound of a smithing hammer hitting steel.

"**Hear something**?" Hulk asked.

"Wait. Is that Sindri?" Atreus asked, recognizing the noise. As they walked towards the noise, it got louder and more clear until they saw Sindri. Somehow he had gotten to Alfheim before they did.

Upon reaching Sindri's worktable, Kratos got right to the point, asking, "How are you here before us, Dwarf? We were told our path was the only one between the realms."

"Heh. It might be the only way for _you_ people to travel, but Dwarves are full of many surprises." Sindri says, which didn't exactly answer Kratos' inquiry.

"That is not an answer to my question." Kratos said impatiently.

"Now, now, just hold on to your sense of wonder." Sindri said waringly.

"**Why should we?**" Hulk asked, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Well...because there's so little mystery left once you've amassed the amount of arcane knowledge like me."

"**Whatever, midget**." Hulk remarked.

"I am no midget! I am a Dwarf!" Sindri shouted at Hulk rather defensively.

* * *

(**Later**)

After finding a canoe to row down the river, Hulk shifted back to Bruce Banner so he could accompany Kratos and Atreus; otherwise the canoe would explode into numerous pieces under his weight.

As Kratos started rowing after Bruce and Atreus got in, he looked at Atreus and asked, "What did your mother tell you about this realm?"

"She didn't tell me much." Atreus answered with a shrug. "She just told me that since the Elves were always fighting over the Light, it kept them isolated from each other."

"_They shouldn't be fighting for such greedy reasons_..." Bruce thought to himself after hearing this, though he was interrupted as Atreus had a confused look on his face; he was hearing voices in his head again.

"Huh?" Atreus asked out loud, unsure as to the origin of the voices as he looked to Kratos.

"Again...neither I nor the man said nothing." Kratos said to the boy as he kept rowing.

"Weird. I could've sworn I heard-AGGGHH!" Atreus began to say, only to clutch his head in pain and scream.

"Atreus!" Bruce shouted with concern as Kratos tended to Atreus.

"Boy. What is wrong?" Kratos asked with care.

"Voices...Arggh...You two don't hear them?" The boy asked with a groaning tone.

"No. We heard nothing." Kratos answered.

Atreus groaned more before the pain in his head subsided. "I heard screaming. Lots of angry voices." He said, feeling pain and loss of life from just the voices in his mind as Kratos resumed rowing the canoe, passing by numerous dead bodies of Light Elves.

They eventually arrive at a large, wide lake, very similar to the one on Midgard. Kratos docks the canoe and the three get out, coming across a sand bowl, in which Atreus noticed had a symbol on it.

"What does it ask?" Kratos asks the boy.

"It says...'Without me or within me, death is sure. Yet within you, I am life lost pure.' Weird. I don't see any runes around to read."

"Rrr...We must find it." Kratos grumbled in frustration. "Back to the boat."

The three board the canoe and row towards the ringed temple that the Witch told them about, spotting a shiny blue door in the distance. However, before they could even begin to cross the bridge of light that would lead them there, some strange tentacles wrapped around the light crystal, making the bridge disappear as some Dark Elves fly over, hovering above the trio. The Dark Elves continually dive downwards and stab at the three strangers with their spear-like weapons. Bruce panics as he tries to dodge the swift attacks, but is eventually stabbed in the leg, screaming in pain as blood spurts from his flesh wound. However, he feels Hulk starting to emerge as the muscles in his leg start to enlarge. He then looks at the Dark Elf that stabbed him and grins darkly before pushing the weapon out of his leg, which then heals within seconds.

"You shouldn't have done that...because you've made me angry!" Bruce said as he transforms back into Hulk and punches the Dark Elf away.

"Wow..." Atreus said in awe as Hulk punched and swatted several Dark Elves with his bare hands like they were nothing. Soon, no Dark Elves remained.

"**Stupid**..." Hulk muttered to himself before noticing two large crank wheels nearby.

"Hey, look!" Atreus said as he points at the two wheels. "Maybe we can use these to get the bridge back?"

Hulk shrugged and started to roll one of the wheels, making large curved structures emerge from the lake and make a formation of some kind. After stopping, more Dark Elves arrived, but Hulk and Kratos made short work of them and Kratos spun the other wheel. Atreus then noticed something: with the two structures formed together...they looked like a rune of some kind.

"Look! When those things combined like that...It looks like a rune of some kind." Atreus said as he looks at the ring-shaped structures protruding from the lake.

"**Then let's see what it means**..." Hulk said to Atreus before turning into Bruce again and he gets in the canoe after Kratos and Atreus do so.

Upon getting back to the sand bowl from before, Atreus focuses on the strange structure and says, "Wow, it looks like an Elvish rune!"

"What does it ask?" Kratos grumbled.

"Like it said before, father. 'Without me or within me, death is sure. Yet within you, I am life most pure'. Hold on..." Atreus said as his brain scrambles to find the answer before realizing what the answer was. "I got the answer. It's water." He added as he prepares to carve the rune into the sand bowl, only to bend over, clutching his head and screaming like before. The voices were back. "AGGGHH!"

"Atreus!" Bruce shouted with concern.

"The voices again...but they were different, less angry. They...were begging, asking for help." Atreus said, which sent a chill of horror down Bruce's spine.

"Well, if people are in trouble we should-" Bruce started to say before being cut off.

"No. We are here only for the Light. I do not care who those people are or what they want." Kratos said coldly, condemning the people Atreus heard to die.

"You never care about anything..." Atreus mumbled to himself, which Kratos heard.

"You have something to say?" Kratos asked as he took a step toward Atreus.

"No..." Atreus said almost immediately as he carves the Elvish rune into the sand bowl. The sands glowed as the lake started to open up, and the platform that the three were standing on was descending.

"Wow..." Bruce softly said to himself as the platform descended.

"Um...Father?" Atreus added, getting Kratos' attention, who looks down at the boy.

"Yes?" Kratos replied gruffly.

"The voices I heard...I...Well, it was kind of hard to make out...in the back of all the voices...I think I heard Mother." Atreus said sadly, in which Bruce looked at Atreus with a sympathetic expression.

"That is not possible." Kratos replied, not thinking that Atreus heard her. As the platform descended more, another Dark Elf appeared, but this one was different. He was more muscular, had thicker armor, large horns, and was carrying a strange looking glaive or staff-like weapon.

"Another Dark Elf! But it's different..." Atreus said as he observed the Dark Elf.

Things got bad when the platform stopped descending, and a group of Dark Elves attacked while the larger one observed from above, a shocked expression appearing on its face as it saw Bruce transform into Hulk, who made short work of his share of Dark Elves, beating them to death with his fists while Kratos cut through his own with his axe. Realizing he was outmatched, the bigger Dark Elf cowardly flew away.

"**Coward**!" Hulk roared as he punches his final Dark Elf.

* * *

(**Later**)

Minutes go by as the trio venture throughout Alfheim, slaughtering numerous groups and bundles of Dark Elves until making it to where the crystal for the light bridge was covered by those tendrils. As soon as they got there, Dark Elves flew in from above, but like before, they were no match for Kratos' rage and Hulk's brute strength. However, as soon as the Dark Elves were killed, a series of rocks shifted into a towering humanoid shape.

"Ahh! Stone Ancient!" Atreus hollered as the Ancient rose up and swung its right arm at the boy, but Hulk easily halted the attack with his left hand.

"**No hitting kids**." Hulk said before hitting the Ancient with his right fist, staggering the stone being quite a bit. Hulk then punched the Ancient again and again until it crumbled to a pile of rubble due to the growing intensity of his punches.

"Wow!" Atreus exclaimed. He was sure that he'd _never_ get used to seeing how strong Hulk really was. It was like nothing could hurt him, let alone beat him in a fight.

Kratos spotted the source of the tentacle blocking the light bridge, using his axe to rapidly freeze it before hacking it in half with a single chop, making the tendril disintegrate and allowing the light bridge to reappear above the three. "The light bridge is back. But how are we gonna get up there?" Atreus asked, only for Hulk to grab both Atreus and Kratos and leap upwards, making the boy holler in surprise as Hulk landed on the light bridge.

"Do not _ever_...do that again..." Kratos grumbled as he yanked himself free of Hulk's grip. Even after all of this, he still didn't trust Hulk.

"**Wimp**." Hulk said to Kratos in a teasing way.

* * *

(**Later**)

The trio continue on, getting closer to the Light as they arrive at what appears to be a hive of some kind that the Dark Elves are living in. As they ventured further, the intensity of the Dark Elves got greater, though Kratos, Atreus and Hulk still managed to chop, shoot, and punch their way through the opposition, eventually reaching their destination: the Light of Alfheim. It was so beautiful, even Hulk was amazed by its intense glow.

"**That's gotta be it.**" Hulk said as he approached the Light alongside Atreus, the latter of whom noticed that the usually dark area was beginning to light up again.

"Look. The temple...It's lighting up again!" Atreus said, observing light returning to Alfheim. As he reached out to touch it, Atreus recoiled his hand. "Ahh! That really hurt! It felt like my hand was on fire..."

"Boy...you and the beast stay here..." Kratos said as he stood in front of the Light before holding his axe in front of Atreus, who looks up at Kratos. "Only use this...as a last resort."

"You're...giving me your axe?" Atreus asked as he held the large weapon in his hands.

"I am letting you hold it. It is not a gift." Kratos said.

"Still...you never let me hold it before now..." Atreus softly said as he looks at the axe.

"**Better come back, old man**." Hulk said to Kratos in a teasing way.

"I do not plan on staying, brute." Kratos said as he pushes himself into the Light, screaming in pain as he does so. Like with Atreus, it hurt really bad when he touched the Light. Soon, Kratos' entire body was enveloped by the Light, then he was gone.

"**Now what**?" Hulk asked as he looked down at Atreus, unsure of what to do until Kratos returned. Atreus simply shrugged his shoulders as he kept gazing at Kratos' axe.


End file.
